Three judges were killed in an attack on the Al-Arish-Rafah international road Saturday morning as they were heading to a North Sinai court.
A North Sinai resident told Daily News Egypt that of the four judges travelling together, four people were killed, including a driver and one judge was severely injured. He added that reports circulated that the fourth died after sustaining injuries as well.
The incident comes after ousted former president Mohamed Morsi was handed a preliminarily death sentence Saturday morning, and his papers referred to Egypt’s Grand Mufti. The final verdict will be issued on 2 June.
The attack has yet to be claimed by any group. However, “State of Sinai”, formerly known as Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, is known to be the most active militant group in the area responsible for almost all attacks in North Sinai.
The armed forces have been engaged in a “war” with the Sinai-based militants since Morsi’s ouster in July 2013. Each party seeks the elimination of the other.
The militant group targets security personnel, their facilities and anyone collaborating with the army.
Several North Sinai tribes announced last week in a conference their stance against North Sinai militants with the Egyptian government and the armed forces.
